Mallanna Sagar ready to flow
Mallanna Sagar reservoir
Hyderabad: Telangana's biggest water storage body - Mallanna Sagar reservoir is all set for grand inauguration. The trial run of the project was started during the wee hours of Sunday.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is likely to inaugurate the project before the end of August. The date will be finalised after the Chief Minister suggests an auspicious date.
The major reservoir, which is crucial in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), started receiving water at Thukkapur as part of the trial run. The water will be diverted from Kaleshwaram canal to the reservoir.
Highlight:
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's dream has come true. Despite facing many hurdles created by opposition, the project has been completed. The reservoir will eradicate drought permanently
– T Harish Rao Finance Minister
Eight heavy motors were installed at the pump house at Thukkapur of Thokkuta Mandal in Siddipet district. Water from the Kaleshwaram project to Mallanna Sagar will be pumped through five reservoirs.
The total installed capacity of the reservoir is 50 tmc feet of water. All the works pertaining to the construction of Mallanna Sagar have been completed. Officials said that the trial run was delayed due heavy rains this season.
At least 10 tmc ft of water would be stored this year and the water will be used for irrigation purposes in the erstwhile districts of Nalgonda, Nizamabad and Medak.
Finance Minister T Harish Rao, who played a key role in the land acquisition for the project, took to twitter to share his happiness on the conduct of the trial run of Mallanna Sagar.
"Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's dream has come true. Despite facing many hurdles created by opposition, the project has been completed. The reservoir will eradicate drought permanently," he said.
A team of engineers working under the Kaleshwaram project were deployed to monitor the functioning of the pump houses. The officials were calculating water flow on an hourly basis.
Based on the outcome, the Irrigation wing will prepare an action plan on the release of water during the kharif season.
"The reservoir will help to provide irrigation facilities to about 18 lakh acres. The underwater tunnel on a stretch of 13 km in the reservoir paved the way to lift water without interruption," said an engineer.